Announcements

Fishing Minnesota has added a new menu item (see above) called Fishing Report Clubs. It's a way to keep the really good fishing reports coming and being shared only with those who also provide detailed fishing reports.
We will only approve new members who request to join if they have already posted a recent fishing report in the area forum, associated with the Fishing Report Club area you want to join.
Initially we are going to limit the number of regular memberships, in the Fishing Report Clubs, to the top 20 members in each Club, to those with the best frequency and quality fishing reports provided in the club and less so in the regular fishing report forum open to all members. The higher quality fishing report reserved for the club of course.
If you want see detailed fishing reports/tips around your area and will share your detailed fishing report as soon as you join, then Join Now!
Some of the clubs are starting to fill fast. Use the Fishing Reports Club link in the Menu above (after you've posted a fishing report in the regular area forum) and request to Join.

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buzzsaw 0

buzzsaw 0

Okay, so there are some here that call him a huge choker and others that disagree to some extent. I am kind of in the middle, some games he just comes up short and others he pounds a huge line drive homerun. If anything I'd call him inconsistant with a decent upside.

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nofishfisherman 13

nofishfisherman 13

He is decent in the field with an absolute gun for an arm and he has some pop in his bat. He might end up with 25 hr's and 100 RBI's, he has some bad at bats and stikes out at times but with that sort of production I won't hammer him to bad. I would like to see the Twins get a right hand bat this off season to hit between Mauer and Mourneau and then move Cuddy to the 6th spot. In that 6 spot he can do some damage as well if Mourneau keeps hitting around .320 next year.

Since this is Cuddy's first year really settling in as a full time player at the same position I look forward to what he might be able to give us next year. I think he still has unfulfilled potential.

Besides he seems to be a good club house guy, the last few years he was willing to get jerked around between 3-4 different positions, get bench for a few days, then thrown back out at a new position and he did it without complaining. He paid his dues and he deserves all the success he gets.

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colonel42 0

colonel42 0

Come on Hunter is still out there!!!! Oh maybe you meant Jones. Hee Haa!!!!!! Go Twinkies. Finsh the sweep today and bring the brooms back again on Sunday sweeping the sox back to Chicago. Garza will have a better day----let's hope.

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nofishfisherman 13

nofishfisherman 13

Yeah I think he is just as good as Jones was only paid less. He does have the worst average at .268 but if thats your worst average on your team then you are doing something right I think. If he had that average last year he would have been one of the leaders on the team.

I am not going to say he is an allstar or anything like that but he is a solid player. Your entire team cannot be allstars unless you are the yankees so you need guys like Cuddy to fill out the rest of your lineup.

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fishyguy 0

fishyguy 0

Cuddyer does strike out too much but I like his numbers. They are not #4 numbers but everyone knows he is not supposed to be there. It is only Morneau's failings in the #4 spot that put him there. If he was batting 6th where he should be his stats would be outstanding.

He is on pace for:

.265 avg.

.505 slugging

107 runs

117 RBI

27 HR

Not too bad considering he platooned for the first month of the season.

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Willy 0

Willy 0

Good player. I think he's a good stick. He IS a middle of the order bat. Now that he is finally getting a chance to play everyday, he is producing.

He drives in runs, hits HRs, and has a knack for coming up big when we need him to. The only thing this lineup needs right now is a right handed bat to hit behind Morneau to protect him a little bit. Now whether they get someone in the offseason and put him behind Morneau, or put that guy in the 4 hole and move Cuddy to 6. Either one would work as Hunter is not really the type of guy to protect our best hitter.

I also like the fire the guy plays with. He is the kinda guy you want on your team, he gets pumped and keeps the guys going.

He also has what I would call the best outfield arm on the team. Strong hard throws that are extemely accurate. Teams are not gonna want to run on Cuddyer if they have a chance to.

I think he will be a staple in the Twins lineup for alot of years.

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colonel42 0

colonel42 0

He is one of those guys you just love to hate. Some nights you just ask yourself what the heck is he waiting for and the next day your praising him. Baseball is like a roller coaster. All in all he is having a banner season, like you said work on the strike outs and he will develope into a great player.

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nofishfisherman 13

nofishfisherman 13

I like have Morneau in the 5th spot, keeping him and Mauer apart really messes with the bullpen of the other team. You know this way one of the two is going to get a pitched to. Move Cuddy to 6, Hunter to 7 and get another big bat for the 4th spot. Bartlett, Punto and Castillo and right where they need to be. This lineup is real real close to being outstanding next year.

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Willy 0

Willy 0

How can you say that? He is one of the nicer guys on the team. I guess to me he is the kind of guy that you always pull for. He's a good guy and does alot for the Twins and the city/state for which he plays.

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nofishfisherman 13

nofishfisherman 13

I like that he is so available to the media. He never turns down an interview. He is the kind of guy you want to speak for your team and he does it alot. Him and Punto are always in front of the camera it seems.

It is hard to not cheer for him though.

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colonel42 0

colonel42 0

I hate when a ball player of his calibur sits and looks at a big curve ball for a called strike three or swings at a ball that isn't even close to being in the strike zone. Like I said a guy you love but hate sometimes. After reading the quote I guess that didn't come out the way I intended it to. Don't take it wrong he is one of my best players for this years Twinkies and he is one of the guys you can count on giving his everything all the time other then those huge sweeping curve balls.

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Willy 0

Willy 0

Cuddyer was a top prospect when he was coming up through the minors, so it's not like he is just having a fluke year. This kind of play was expected of him when he came up. It has just taken awhile for him to live up to his potential.

He has talent, and lots of it. I think if he can have a few more years, you'll see him turn into a heck of a righthanded slugger. The ball really jumps off his bat and he is a strong guy.

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nofishfisherman 13

nofishfisherman 13

If you look at where he was last year and where he is this year it is amazing. Last year when he came to bat you shrugged your shoulders and just hoped for the best. This year you can have some realistic hope that he will get the job done.

He does need to cut down on the strikeouts and start seeing the curve ball better but when you are able to focus on one thing like that to improve on it is so much easier to approach then when you have 10 things to work on. He is very very close to being a big time slugger. Alot like Morneau was last year.

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Eckie 0

Eckie 0

Cuddy's a classic team player, 110% all the time. Plus he's a stand up guy OFF the field. Defensively, he's a stud. Offensively, I like his numbers..sure, I can't help but cringe when he K's in a clutch situation, but I can guarantee he cringes a lot more than any of us do. He's one of my favorite players. Attitude is everything. I love watching guys play who PLAY for the right reasons.

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Bobby Bass 70

Bobby Bass 70

I think he has been real steady out there in right I would like to see him get a few days off, he looks tired to me. Saying that I don't leave the room when he is at bat, good things seem to happen with him at the plate.

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not_nuf_time 0

not_nuf_time 0

Come on, be real if it weren't for Cuddy this team would probably have ten less wins and be well out of the running. Hunter, over-rated, Cuddyer, under-rated. If it weren't for Justin M. he would be team mvp. He's produced in clutch situations more this year than anyone.

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soldoncass 0

soldoncass 0

I love Cuddyer this year. I think he is the best fit in right field for the twins since Tom Brunansky (way back when). As for his striking out.... they get him a lot on those perfect pitches.(down and away nasty sliders). Pucket had a weakness there too, as I remember. In fact it would be interesting to see a stat on that for % of total stike-outs on that pitch for all players. Cuddyer has really matured a lot this year as a complete player, and if they are "off" just a little bit with the pitch, he makes them PAY a lot also. I think the l-r-l- combination in the middle of the lineup is probably the thing that other teams hate the worst when they play us.... that and the speeeeed from the 8-9-1-2- hitters that always seem to be on base for the 3-4-5 hitters. They are having an awesome year for sure. Fun to watch!

Made it out this weekend again with a bunch of friends on Saturday morning. Ice conditions at shore were great condition, ice driving around was just fine especially since I was only in 2wd. Fished a deep hole from 6:30 till 2 pm around Dent. Fish were active and everyone was able to land a few fish. Fish ranged from 12-16" with average being in that 14-15" range. Tons of people out there. Coming off the ice the access was no longer in great condition but was still very easy to get off the water.
Fished over by perham in the afternoon for crappies hit a deep hole that usually holds good populations. Graphed a ton but only 3-6" crappies. Fished till graphs died, guess LX7's with a 9 amp hour rating wont run 12+ hours lol. Access on that lake was getting very sketchy to say the least. Everyone kept driving on good ice so the trails coming off the lake were sporadic at best. Lots of snow on the lake and lots of slush and flooded spots on the lake. We were throwing water with 4wd in the pickup locked in.
Fished Sunday morning again, buddy I took is worse than most 5 year olds so it was an interesting morning. Got one around 7:15 right away. Was trying to set his rod up and graph and hooked one in the process he gave it too much slack and lost it. 5 minutes later he's fighting one and I can hear drag flying off so I thought I went too light of gear for him, he landed an 18.5" tuilibee! Biggest one of the weekend and ended up being his only fish. We fished the rest of the morning and ended up with about a dozen of them. Range was from 5" to 18.5" average being about 14" again. Access coming off was same condition but you drive through a "Beach" on shore and the beach is getting really dug out and soft.
Unless we get tons of cold weather soon I might be done for driving on any access that gets hit by sunlight. Sun has tons of power and I got a nasty sunburn on Saturday while hole hoping!

Made it out this weekend again with a bunch of friends on Saturday morning. Ice conditions at shore were great condition, ice driving around was just fine especially since I was only in 2wd. Fished a deep hole from 6:30 till 2 pm around Dent. Fish were active and everyone was able to land a few fish. Fish ranged from 12-16" with average being in that 14-15" range. Tons of people out there. Coming off the ice the access was no longer in great condition but was still very easy to get off the water.
Fished over by perham in the afternoon for crappies hit a deep hole that usually holds good populations. Graphed a ton but only 3-6" crappies. Fished till graphs died, guess LX7's with a 9 amp hour rating wont run 12+ hours lol. Access on that lake was getting very sketchy to say the least. Everyone kept driving on good ice so the trails coming off the lake were sporadic at best. Lots of snow on the lake and lots of slush and flooded spots on the lake. We were throwing water with 4wd in the pickup locked in.
Fished Sunday morning again, buddy I took is worse than most 5 year olds so it was an interesting morning. Got one around 7:15 right away. Was trying to set his rod up and graph and hooked one in the process he gave it too much slack and lost it. 5 minutes later he's fighting one and I can hear drag flying off so I thought I went too light of gear for him, he landed an 18.5" tuilibee! Biggest one of the weekend and ended up being his only fish. We fished the rest of the morning and ended up with about a dozen of them. Range was from 5" to 18.5" average being about 14" again. Access coming off was same condition but you drive through a "Beach" on shore and the beach is getting really dug out and soft.
Unless we get tons of cold weather soon I might be done for driving on any access that gets hit by sunlight. Sun has tons of power and I got a nasty sunburn on Saturday while hole hoping!

Wow just figured it out 105 day and counting that I have gone on to the lake. There may of been a day or two that I did not go on the lake but I guess I do not remember when that was. Its been another fun grind if that can be such a thing.
My blogging has not been as much as I would like. After a couple days you can not remember all the little things that happen. Such as as all the fishermen's names that I meet along the way. How many fish were caught and released, who did what, why they drove there, what mother nature threw at us.
I would say that not as many fishermen drove into the pressure ridges or snow berms this year.
There were again more wheel houses this year then last year as they just keep pumping them things out. There were some lake politics that I do not get to talk about, about the same as every year. I hooked up with snowbear Josh as he has become a new friend, I tried to give him some pointers and helped him out where I could.
If I graded the fishing 1 to 10 I would give her a 8, we had 3 really slow weekends in our spots. It seems that they are always biting somewhere on this lake, its just getting to them places can some times be impossible.
If I graded Buddy Hillmens road/highway it gets a 10, but I biased on that as I help with that. Our crappie get together has gotten smaller which is fine as I get to spend more time with the guys and gals. My working vacation started the day after walleye closed. I'm defiantly burned out with cooking the 3 course meals in old Minnesota, all though the cooking space is about the same size as our kitchen just no running water.
I would say we have to be around 150 to 200 elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappies since walleye closed. Which is pretty good considering we can not get to where we want to be this year. I've really had to stay on the move to get the houses on new spots to improve the chance of catching such a elusive fish, but I always wonder if I should of stayed where I was.
When Wayne came up this weekend he drove into the maze of trails I have made in the last 3 weeks and said "your right you really do ruin areas" man did we have a laugh about that. They say Laughter makes you younger and again I may of gained a year or two.
Having Jonny boy working with me was a treat, as any time you can spend quality time with your kids is a bonus in life. Auguring holes with all most 3 feet of ice has become quite the chore , he makes it look easy, as after 3 holes I'm spent, I'm not sure how I ever have been able to knock out 40 holes on a Thursday or Friday. I guess I have to chalk it up to age.
He is also a fishing machine compared to me. He had spent every night out there since walleye closed. As our good friend Ole has said in the past. "he is a trophy hunter" you can not catch them if your not out there. Every one of these elusive crappies in my book are trophies'
Yesterday I started moving the fleet home after saying good bye to the guys. I have 3 of the 6 houses staged close to shore. Were going to keep montana and California out there for a couple more days I think, It all depends on mother nature, and how cutting the trail to Hillmens road goes today with the red baron. The houses can be out there after the 19th as long as there occupied and Jonny boy has no problem staying out there a few more nights.
Now for the fishing report, Ryan and his son Ripply arrived Thursday and spent two nights in florida. They were rewarded with 3 elusive yet still catchable upper red lake crappies. I also had 5 in the cooler so we sent him home with 5 total enough to have a great meal. The hammer and I ate the other 3 out there last night.
Wayne made it up for old Minnesota, I managed to snag one Saturday eve so he also got to have fresh crappie dinner when he got home last night.
jeoff, Jeromy, Larry and Kevin were in north Dakota and montana. North dakota got 5 the first night and Saturday morning, montana got 2 I think, then Saturday night it was the opposite. They figured they caught at least 20 counting the fish caught hole hopping during the day. The crew of 4 only kept 8 or 9.
Jonny boy and I also moved California and Florida Friday , Jonny boy picked a good spot for California and has caught more then a few, yesterday Dick and his wife came for the evening and had 2 last I heard, Dick said both are going on the wall.
Marty and Tony came down from low Saturday and fished in florida they left before dark so no fish for them.
Sounds like Darrin is going to come up tomorrow for a day or 2. Jeoff said he may come back as he has a hard time putting the ice fishing gear away, kinda like me putting the golf clubs or the fish houses away. I took the hammer fishing last night for her birthday but no elusive crappie for her all though I think she may of lost one or two, as well as me.
Hillmens highway is still in good shape, with the lake completely snow covered at this time. we have not lost much if any ice other then the landing which is not that big of a deal as its so shallow .